Conduit Dance closes in on modest fundraising goal

The second weekend of "We Are Conduit Dance!" benefit concerts built on the success of the first, getting the organization to within several hundred dollars of its fundraising goal. A preliminary calculation by co-artistic director Tere Mathern indicated donations totally $14,543.96, toward a target of $15,000 needed to keep the contemporary dance center alive in the face of increased rent and other expenses.

"From my calculations we are just $456 short of raising our goal! -- I think that's pretty amazing," Mathern wrote. "Thank you all so much for your support, wisdom, donations, everything."

According to a breakdown that Mathern sent out to supporters by email, the first weekend's program brought in a little more than $5,300. The more recent program took in about $7,100 at the door. And more than $2,000 -- including three gifts in the $500 range -- was donated by individuals or groups who did not attend any of the benefit concerts.

Beyond the numbers, last weekend's "Program B" made an even stronger case for the artistic value of the space, which is used by various dance artists for classes, rehearsals, workshops and performances.

Conduit stalwart Jim McGinn started things off with "Trying On Just Won't Fit," a solo set to music by 3 Leg Torso's Courtney Von Drehle. Tall, lean and muscular, McGinn moves in a way that looks like he's constantly exploring the borders between tension and flow, aggression and grace. Another standout was an excerpt from Mary Oslund's recent work "Anatomica," this section a duet by Michelle Rogers and Jessica Hightower, a well-matched pair of long-limbed and intensely focused young dancers. Rogers, in particular, brought out the sensuality in Oslund's idiosyncratic, psychologically potent movement style. And there was an intriguingly unusual visual aspect to "No Vertical Support," performed by Mandy Christiansen, Noel Plemmons and Jonathan Krebs in the almost cochlear-looking Pythian Building stairwell just outside the Conduit studio.

Emphasizing the place that Conduit has as a place of connection for the dance community as a whole, there were testimonials from the likes of White Bird founders Walter Jaffe and Paul King. "It's a space, but it's also a central life force," King said.

Perhaps the importance of such a modest yet sometimes glorious place was best summed up by Susan Banyas, a writer, choreographer and performance artist who has used Conduit over the years to help develop her work.

"As an artist, you have to be able to fail," Banyas told the audience. "Conduit allows you to succeed by giving you that space to take a step forward. But it also allows you to fail. And without both those two things there's really no making art."